CARNOUSTIE, Scotland — Legion are those who will tell you that the back nine on the often bleak, barren and desolate Carnoustie Links is perhaps the most challenging second half in golf. They will tell you that because it is true. See Tom Watson’s inability to make a 3 on the long-short 16th in 1975 (when he went on the win the first of his five Open Championship titles). Or Johnny Miller’s two-in-a-bunker on the 72nd hole that same year. Then there is Jean Van de Velde’s infamous and unforgettable triple-bogey on the 18th in 1999. And Padraig Harrington’s less destructive double-bogey on the same hole eight years later.

But not everyone subscribes to the notion that performing with distinction over those closing holes is close to impossible. Not the new Senior British Open champion, K.J. Choi, anyway. One day after making successive double-bogeys at the 15th and 16th—lapses that gave legitimate hope to the chasing pack—the former Players champion returned to take his revenge.

Six under par on the 10th tee, fresh from a birdie on the previous hole but still one shot off the pace set by Australian Richard Green, Choi played the next five holes in five under par and, eventually, the back nine in 32. It was, understandably, a winning thrust that saw him finish up 10 under par and claim the $447,800 first prize by two shots over Green.

“It’s unbelievable, today’s game,” said Choi, employing his own uniquely delightful brand of broken English. “All this week I pray. Either way starting very nervous and some speed and difference and three bogeys after six. Still keep attention and pray. A little more, I feel more better working, there’s more fire and the swing is more comfortable. So windy and so difficult course. Myself I’m very impressed and I’m very proud and appreciating everyone supporting. This event is historical in Korea, first-time champion in Senior Open. Very proud this week.”

Still, the news was not all good on the scoring front. On a bright, breezy afternoon marked by a huge range of scoring, “Carnasty” still had some bite.

Australian Scott Hend made a quintuple-bogey 9 on the ninth, three holes after a double-bogey 7 on the sixth. Former PGA champion Y.E. Yang needed eight shots to complete that same par 5. American Paul Goydos’ triple on the 15th was the high score on that hole.

Ah, but the prize for weirdest performance of the day goes to Harrington. Winner of the 2007 Open at Carnoustie, the eccentric Irishman lived up to his reputation by shooting even-par 72, a round that contained no fewer than seven birdies. Unfortunately, there was a triple bogey at the first in there too, closely followed by a double bogey at the second, a bogey at the short eighth and, much later, another dropped shot at the 17th. Over the course of those two opening holes, the three-time major champion was in three bunkers, where he expended five shots.

“I battled yesterday,” said Harrington of his third-round 73. “Then I flushed it today. I couldn’t hit it worse yesterday. Couldn’t hit it better today. So it’s a crazy game. I actually didn’t know what score I was shooting at the end; my head was so messed up. But that is what happens in this game. I knew I had to push today. I had three good eagle chances out there. I could have slipped a few more putts in.”

The good news, as Harrington acknowledged, was that Choi “ran away with it,” that eventual two-shot margin between winner and runner-up a little misleading. A two-shot swing in Green’s favor on the final hole made things look closer than they were in reality.

Speaking of Green, for those paying attention to recent events on the PGA Tour Champions, the Australian is a major victory waiting to happen. Second in the Senior PGA back in May, then third in last month’s U.S. Senior Open and now second again here, the 53 year old has been playing some of the better over-50 golf for some time now.

But not the best. Not yet. This week at least, K.J. knew too much.